This present invention relates to dental hygiene and, more particularly, to a method of converting a power-driven toothbrush into a power-driven flossing device, and a converter especially adapted to facilitate such conversion.
Most people in industrial societies are devoting meaningful attention to dental hygiene. The brushing of teeth is considered to be basic to dental hygiene, and power-driven toothbrushes are common although many consider them relatively expensive.
The art of power-driven toothbrushes is well established. It is not unusual for one who brushes his/her teeth with a power-driven toothbrush to become interested at a later time in using tooth flossing to supplement the brushing. That is, in many situations it is after a consumer purchases a power-driven toothbrush that he/she becomes interested in also flossing. If such a person uses a power-driven toothbrush, the person is relegated to flossing by hand to avoid the expense of also purchasing a power-driven flossing device.
As mentioned previously, the art of power-driven toothbrushes is well established. There also are, of course, power-driven flossing devices. Some have even designed power-driven toothbrush/flossing device combinations. However, as also mentioned previously it is not unusual for someone to become interested in flossing after purchasing a relatively expensive power-driven toothbrush. These combination units are therefore considered by many to be a compromise by those interested primarily in tooth brushing and therefore are not widely accepted.
Some of the patents which were considered before the filing of this patent application include U.S. Pat. Nos. RE 35712; 4,014,354; 4,235,253; 4,377,877; 4,605,025; 4,817,642; 4,830,032; 5,010,906; 5,189,751; 5,261,430; 5,263,218; 5,267,579; 5,305,492; 5,309,590; 5,343,873; 5,373,153; 5,375,615; 5,378,153; 5,476,384; 5,544,382; 5,636,988; 5,749,380; 5,762,078; 5,784,742; 5,796,325; and 5,815,872; Review was also made of International Patent WO 90/11057 and WO 94/15546. None of these patents was found to either anticipate or make obvious applicant's solution to the problem of a person who has invested in a power-driven toothbrush at a later time also wishing he/she had a power-driven low-cost but effective flossing device. And none show the details of applicant's arrangement.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,085,236 (Odneal et al.) discloses a flossing attachment for an electric toothbrush. However, it appears the inventors only went half-way. That is, while the attachment is designed to be "attached" to an electric toothbrush, there is no disclosure in such patent regarding the diversion of energy from the toothbrush to move the floss string. Moreover, this arrangement lacks simplicity and may endanger proper dental hygiene by storing used floss string in close proximity to the supply of new string. Such storage gives removed bacteria the opportunity to multiply and return into a user's mouth during subsequent uses.